"It is my pleasure once again to feature another excellent blog written by my
dear Iranian friend Paymaneh. Paymaneh is an Iranian-Christian refuge
living in exile in Malaysia. Even though she lives faraway from her homeland,
she has not forgotten her people. Every week on my radio program,
I give Paymaneh a "voice" by reading her powerful stories that bring awareness
to the plight of Iranian people living behind the "iron curtain" of the Islamic
Republic of Iran.
In her new blog, Paymaneh takes us to the streets of Tehran and introduces us
to the suffering children who must sell their bodies and souls to stay alive!
.
Every person in the world has their own story to tell. My story is the story of POVERTY!
Most children in Iran are very poor, so poor that we have to abandon going to school and instead work in the streets, in both rainy and cold weather, wandering among cars, selling flowers and snacks.
"Sir would you like to buy these flowers? " "Do you need some chewing gum?"
"These Quran verses will solve the problems of your life!
From morning until evening, exhausted and hungry, we plead with people to buy our flowers or gum.
Unlike others, we love the traffic lights! We have to jump in front of people's cars,and quickly clean their windshields. Some people ignore us, some treat us like animals, and fortunately, a few give us some money.
We are also known as "rented kids," who are dropped off in the morning by a mini bus at specific locations to work the streets and sell our merchandise. At the end of the day, our employer collects our earnings and maybe if we're lucky he will reward us with a few Tomans.
Who's fault is it, if our parents cannot make money, because they are in prison or addicted to drugs or disabled?
Most of our mothers, if they cannot earn money, will sell their kidneys in order to survive for another month. Most of us cannot go to school. We are bullied, offended, abused, raped, or used by our employers to carry drugs. Because of that, most of us end up becoming addicts.
We are suffering, dying, and crying out in desperation, while billions of dollars which should be ours, instead is being transferred into foreign bank accounts by Mullahs and government officials. The terrorists in Syria and Lebanon receive their illegal portion of the money to buy weapons, while we are starving and dying in the streets.
Millions of dollars are used to decorate the Masouleum of Khomeini and enhance the gold dome and the carpets inside. The Shi'e Imam's tombs are beautiful, bright and polished and we have to pay for them with our lives in darkness and despair.
We are living in hell while the Mullahs are living the lifestyles of Kings and emperors.
I have a question for the Supreme Leader, Mr. Khamenei, what will you do with the money you received from the nuclear deal? Will you help us so that we don't have to wander the streets day and night and sell our bodies and souls to stay alive?
I was born in the streets and I will die in the streets.
Rooz Khosh ( Have a nice day)
(About the author, Paymaneh Sabet)
I am an Iranian lecturer, a teacher, and a translator. But previously I also wrote journals. I love writing and producing short films. I love to write about romance, love stories, and the greatest love story between God and His people.
It is my duty to use my gifts and talents to stand up against the dictatorship in Iran and cry out for their freedom. I want to do my best to reach them with the gospel, inspite of their barriers and limitations. I want the world to know the true Iranian...to know their faces and the human rights atrocities they have suffered with for the past 36 years.
My biggest dream is that Iranians will know the truth and turn their hearts to Christ for true salvation, freedom, and happiness.
